Almost In Full Bloom
by Runzia
Summary: Based off the TV ver. Japan , this examines the changes in the relationships between Mizuki, Sano, & Nakatsu after she flew back to the US. Osaka's students make their trip to the US. In California, all three friends start realizing the way things are.
1. Chapter 1

Shuichi watched Mizuki hug all her classmates and smiled absently, thinking of just how much _he's_ missed her. However, this brought back painful memories of how his feelings could never be returned and of how Sano... Just then, Sano made an appearance and Shuichi saw the expression of Mizuki's face clearly. Sano's mirrored expression paled in comparison to Mizuki's, which really wasn't surprising given Sano's character. It's seeing them two together that finally cemented what Shuichi told himself all along. Before he even met Mizuki, before she even _came_ to Japan... he'd never really stood a chance.

Even so, being Mizuki and Sano's friend was worth more than trying to break up their... strange relationship, which really wasn't romantic, but not quite platonic. They hugged and there was a faint, distant pang inside of Shuichi's chest. He firmly ignored it, strolling over as casual as can be to Sano and Mizuki.

"Mizuki-chan, it's good to see you," Shuichi greeted, smiling and trying not to be affected by Mizuki's feminineness. The last time he'd seen her, she'd still been in Osaka's school uniform and still looked somewhat boyish. Now it was nearly painful to look at her. She was beautiful. "I hope you haven't gained any weight from eating hamburgers in your sleep."

Sano snorted with amusement and Mizuki hit his chest -_had she always been this weak? How could I have not noticed sooner?_- playfully, with a feigned hurt expression. "_Hey_, you're making fun of me already? Be nice to me, I just got here." She put on a pout and Shuichi fondly ruffled her hair, making her squawk indignantly and pat it down.

Sano nudged Shuichi with his shoulder. "Hey, why did you take so long getting over here?" he asked in a low voice, as if not wanting Mizuki, who was now talking to Nakao and Kayashima, to overhear them.

Shuichi glanced at him and stammered, "I-I just wanted you and Mizuki to-to... Uh." He glanced (peeked) at Sano and saw that Sano's amused expression had returned, along with a tinge of exasperation.

"Me and Mizuki aren't officially dating," Sano told him, making Shuichi frown slightly. "We're all friends. What's there to be so embarrassed about?"

Whirling around, Shuichi glared at Sano and loudly exclaimed, "Embarrassed? Who's embarrassed?! I just thought that you and Mizuki should... should..." Realizing that he'd perhaps said too much already, Shuichi felt heat rush to his face. He turned around and shouted, "Hey, Namba-sempai, do you have the tour schedule? I lost mine!"

Suddenly, Shuichi felt something rustle in his jacket pocket and looked down. He only noticed a of flash skin leaving his pocket. With a distressed sound he turned and felt his face grow hotter at the sight of Sano holding up his tour schedule. When Sano raised his eyebrow, Shuichi glared and snatched it back.

"What?" he snapped in Sano's face.

"Thought you said you lost yours," Sano replied flatly, giving Shuichi a piercing gaze, apparently not affected by Shuichi's close proximity.

Shuichi rolled his eyes, looking away with a snort. "Forgot it was there!" he explained easily, shrugging and trying to find a way out of this mess.

Leave it up to Sano to be perspective and annoying. He usually kept his observations to himself, but Mizuki had pulled him out of his shell. Which meant that he felt free to irritate Shuichi whenever he _observed_ something. There was hardly anything Shuichi could get away with (though Kayashima often sided with Sano when Shuichi was too mopey, angry, or hyper, the traitor) now that Sano was investing his time in their friendship.

"I doubt that," Sano said, snatching the tour schedule back and stuffing it into his pocket. He slapped Shuichi's hands away when Shuichi tried to grab it. "You said you lost it and now you have."

At first, Shuichi just stared at him and then growled, "Baka! You stole it from my pocket! Return it to me!" He held out his hand.

"You're a dumb ass," Sano stated, looking slightly ruffled. "You're behaving suspiciously. More than usual, I mean."

"There's nothing wrong with me! You should wondering what's wrong with _you!_" Shuichi stabbed a finger at Sano. "Your behavior has been suspicious lately, being nice, smiling, and asking to hang out. Why do you want to?" Again, Shuichi got up in Sano's face.

Sano looked nervously away, stuttering, "I-I haven't been. What are you? Crazy? I'm the same. Your mom must have dropped you when you were a baby."

Shuichi reared back in offense, balling up his fists. "EH?! You dare talk about my mom?!"

"You guys!"

They both turned their heads to see Mizuki, complete in her cute flowing shirt and dark blue jeans, with a hand on her hip. "You're fighting already?" she asked, coming over to them and scolding them with her eyes.

"He started it," Sano said first.

Shuichi scoffed disgustedly and grit out, "Bullshit!"

Mizuki sighed, grabbing Sano's hand in one of hers and Shuichi's with the other. "Let's go eat, okay?"

Before Shuichi or Sano could agree or maybe decline her offer -if you could interpret _that_ as a offer- Mizuki dragged them down the boardwalk. Shuichi caught Sano's eyes over Mizuki's head.

_We are going to talk,_ those eyes said.

Shuichi sent his only thought back.

_We'll see._

--

Shuichi laughed as Mizuki began telling them of how her parents reacted when they found out she'd been staying at an all boy's school. Apparently, Mizuki couldn't bear telling half-truths and eventually told them after a while. Her mom wanted to know how many cute boys she got to spy on, while her dad -who somehow hadn't fainted with rage- demanded to know if she'd been taken advantage of.

"I can't believe he asked me that!" Mizuki took another hearty bite out of her hamburger. Shuichi looked at his own, almost in disbelief that it was as big as Mizuki boasted about during the school year. "I was so embarrassed! My mom also gave me this suspicious look and I had to avoid her for weeks because I knew that she was going to ask me if I was dating anyone again."

Shuichi and Sano glanced at each other and Shuichi looked down at his plate. "So-So are you?"

Shuichi gasped as Sano -who else could it be?- stepped on his foot. He glared, prepared to slap his best friend around the head when Mizuki made a surprised noise.

"Eh? Dating? Me?" Mizuki finished off her hamburger with red ketchup smeared in the left corner of her mouth. Shuichi fought the urge to wipe it away with his thumb. "_No._ I have too much to do and study. No time for romance," she said dismissively, using her napkin to clean her fingers.

"Oh," Sano sounded, reaching over and wiping the ketchup from the corner of her mouth. Shuichi wasn't quite... _jealous_, but he felt something negative seeing how comfortable they were around each other. Mizuki didn't even blush, she just smiled and laughed at herself. "Is there a lot more studying here?"

Mizuki cocked her head to the side thinking about it. "No, not really. It isn't more studying... Well, I mean it _is_ a lot to study, but there are only a few subjects. The subjects we have require a lot of knowledge, but fewer classes so I think it's less studying."

"Oh, that's good then," Shuichi commented, digging into his fries and stomping on Sano's foot in retaliation. "At least, you don't have a lot of classes to attend."

"But there are a lot of causes," Mizuki laughed, pushing back her hair, which had grown long again, over her shoulder. "They have a lot of beliefs here, you know. California is very liberal."

"Really?" Sano said interestedly, grinding the heel of his boot into Shuichi's sneaker.

Shuichi winced and promised Sano a hellish payback later.

They all talked about general stuff for a while, Mizuki leading most of the conversation, retelling stories of her time spent in her new college. Shuichi and Sano listened raptly, laughing when appropriate, and more often than not, when it definitely _wasn't_ appropriate. Like when her sorority had a contest similar to the Mr. Osaka contest and stuffed her into the changing booth before yanking all her clothes.

"I was horrified, guys! Stop laughing!" She punched both of them several times, missing as they ducked. "It's not funny! Don't you know my teachers and my parents were there!"

This caused them to laugh even harder as Mizuki's face turned a fetching color of red. She folded her arms huffily and muttered some unsavory comments about boys being idiots. Sano spoke up first, still snorting with laughter.

"It could've been worse," he told her, pushing aside her intended slap.

"How?" she nearly shouted at them, looking irritated.

"You could've been naked!" Shuichi sing-songed, including his awesome jazz hands making Sano start wheezing and Mizuki crack a reluctant smile. "You're lucky it was just your underwear!"

"Unless you were wearing granny panties," Sano stage-whispered, wiggling his eyebrows.

Mizuki choked on her orange juice.

"No way, we've already seen what kind of underwear Mizuki likes," Shuichi said, remembering the bra Hibari had twirled around her finger when Yuujiro was stealing underwear from St. Blossoms. He also remembered Mizuki underneath the lie detector one of their classmates had made. "She likes cute prints and lace. But her favorite are sheer, see thro-"

Pain clawed all over his face as he was knocked back and out of his chair. Shuichi quickly jumped up, ready to knock Sano one, stopping when he realized Sano was silently laughing. Shuichi whirled around, rubbing his face.

"Aw, didja have to hit me so hard, Mizuki-chan!" Shuichi wailed wounded, noting how she didn't even seem bothered by his pain. "Can't you see I'm hurt!"

Mizuki didn't even look at him, delicately sipping her juice.

"You're such a cold guy," Shuichi stated, righting his chair before plopping down in it.

"If you didn't go so far, you wouldn't be half as stupid as you are," Sano murmured to him.

"What bullshit are you talking?" Shuichi sniped back, knowing that perhaps he'd deserved to get punched. "I was just teasing."

"Baka," Sano replied, pretending to be all cool and handsome. It grated Shuichi's nerves.

"So, are you guys dating anyone?" Mizuki asked suddenly.

"Eh?" was all Shuichi could get out.

"Who would want to date an idiot like Nakatsu?" Sano wasn't even looking at him.

Shuichi was going to punch him and he knew that Mizuki realized this because she stood up abruptly. However, a shout caused Shuichi to halt his actions.

"Classmate, you know you can't solve everything with your fists!" Namba said, strolling up with Nakao and Kayashima in tow. "How are you supposed to get a girlfriend that way?"

Shuichi, anger forgotten, rolled his eyes skyward.

"Only a simple-minded girl would be interested," Nakao tittered, smirking at Shuichi. "You _are_ kind of cute, but not very intelligent."

"Komari-san likes Nakatsu," Kayashima added, giving Shuichi the thumbs up.

_Kayashima is such a good friend_, Shuichi thought, promising himself to take Kayashima out to dinner soon.

"Komari-san is just being nice," Nakao muttered, grabbing a nearby chair and setting it next to Mizuki. "Pity moves her heart."

"As much as you pretend to be like one, you aren't a girl, Nakao," Shuichi said, swaying his hips mockingly. "You don't even like them. How can you pretend to know a girl's mind?"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Nakao then turned to Mizuki and started chatting to her.

Kayashima and Namba followed Nakao's lead, grabbing chairs, but Namba sat down next to Shuichi and Kayashima sat next to Sano.

Namba leaned over and whispered, "Don't be so mean to him. He's in a foul mood."

Shuichi scoffed. "It's not my fault that you flirt with every girl you see."

"Even American girls can't resist my sexy charm," Namba boasted, grinning widely. Nakao threw a fry at his head. "Hey! Don't waste good food."

Shuichi ate the fry, much to Namba's annoyance and watched Mizuki be steamrollered by Nakao's Latest Osaka Gossip. He and Sano shared a knowing look and laughed together. Maybe they would talk, but it would be later. Right now, Sano was right.

They were all friends.


	2. Chapter 2

By the end of their lunch/dinner, the sun was setting huge and orange in the horizon. Shuichi, Sano, and Mizuki leaned over the rail at the pier, watching the sunset and enjoying the sea breeze. Shuichi wondered at this easy calmness between the three of them, noting how once again, Mizuki stood in the middle of him and his best friend._It's as if it will always be this way. With Mizuki between us_, he thought. It wasn't uncharitable or anything like wishing Mizuki or Sano would go away. It was more like resignation. Something Shuichi rarely felt. He hated having the bitter taste of it in his mouth.

"Nakatsu."

Shuichi turned his head towards Sano's voice. "Hm?"

Sano's hair had grown longer and today it was out of its usual rubber-band. He wore a slate blue blazer with a white wifebeater underneath and faded black jeans. Shuichi still somehow felt Sano overdressed for this occasion and then nearly smacked himself for forgetting Mizuki. He, himself, had on his best t-shirt, jacket, and pants. He'd actually gotten his hair cut and dyed it black with honey-blonde streaks. Self-consciously, Shuichi toed the grit at the base of the rail with his brand new sneakers.

"...Do you think we'll still be friends after this?" Sano asked, pointedly not looking at Shuichi or Mizuki.

Shuichi opened and closed his mouth several times. It wasn't what Shuichi expected to come out of Sano's mouth. Actually, it was surprising period since Sano never talked about things of that nature. At least, not unless something was bothering him or he was in a weird introspective mood. Still trying to think of something to say, Shuichi came around to Sano's right side and gripped his arm.

"Eh?" is all Shuichi could say right then.

However, Mizuki seemed better prepared in these instances, grabbing Sano's other arm and saying, "What do you mean? Why wouldn't we be? Are you breaking up with us?"

When what she said finally sunk into his head, Shuichi unsuccessfully tried to stifle a snort. Mizuki saw and her whole face lit up like a forest fire. Sano's lips twitched and Shuichi could no longer contain himself.

"Yeah, Sano, _are you_ trying to break up with us?" Shuichi joked, throwing his arm around Sano's neck and making kissy faces at him. "Don't be such a ass. After all me and Mizuki did for you, went through with you, fought for you when people were saying hateful things about you."

Sano rolled his eyes and stated, "I never asked you to do anything. It's your own fault."

Mizuki, finally recovered from her embarrassment, sent a grateful smile over to Shuichi -his heart clenched painfully within his chest- and joined in on the joke. "Eh? Don't go blaming us. That's what friends do and we're friends, aren't we?" She threw her arm around Sano's neck, making him bend slightly to her height.

Sano stayed silent while trying to shrug off both of their arms.

"Hey, you were just talking a few seconds ago." Shuichi made sure to wrap his arm all the way around Sano's neck. "We're not having a silent war because we all know the truth now, don't we?"

"_Yeah..._" Mizuki pinched one of Sano's cheeks and the boy grunted underneath her attack. "You think we don't know all the things you did for us? Like threatening gossipers-"

"Sacrificing yourself to get reporters to dig up dirt," Shuichi added.

"Pretending not to care when you're waiting around worried and wondering what to do-"

"Carrying injured damsels in distress - Ow!"

Mizuki smacked Shuichi's arm playfully and continued listing the things Sano had done for both of them. The more Shuichi listened and said, the more he felt truly blessed to have a friend like Sano. Despite the obvious tension between them concerning Mizuki, they _were_ best friends. Even when there had been open war for Mizuki between them, Sano was still his friend and still spoke to him. One night, Sano had even tried comforting his broken heart. That conversation had been long and painful, but the next day, Shuichi _had_ felt better.

"All right, all right!" Sano exclaimed, finally wiggling free. "I get it, you idiots."

Mizuki stuck her tongue out at Sano and Shuichi didn't move for a moment. All he could do was stare at this man/boy, this ally, this friend and feel a nearly overwhelming rush of love. Without thinking, Shuichi launched himself at Sano, overcome with emotion.

"You are the greatest friend a guy could ever have," Shuichi whispered into Sano's ear, slightly embarrassed by just how emotional he sounded. "I mean that."

Shuichi didn't have to open his eyes to see Mizuki's Aw-That's-So-Cute grin or Sano plainly bewildered expression. However, he was still surprised when Sano hugged him back, albeit awkwardly, but everything involving emotions held awkwardness for Sano. Shuichi never cared if Sano was embarrassed or surprised. He hugged Sano heartily, squeezing and adding manly claps.

After a few moments, Shuichi released Sano, blinking rapidly. "I just wanted you to know," he said lamely, scratching the back of his head.

"Um... Oh. Oh. Mm." Sano looked so uncomfortable, Shuichi pitied him. "Kay."

"Uh, yeah."

_Wow, Nakatsu. Very intelligent._

Shuichi frowned.

_It's not like I know what to say at this strange moment either._

_That's why guys keep their feelings to themselves. They don't know what to do afterwards._

_Well, what do you want from me?!_

_This is all your fault anyway!_

_I couldn't help myself!_

_You never can!_

Shuichi shook his head to free his head of thoughts and realized that Mizuki had saved Sano from further embarrassment by going into what they were doing this week. Shuichi felt lucky to have met Mizuki and blessed to be one of her closest friends.

Mizuki suddenly turned to him and said, "Tomorrow I'll be free and Sano has some local interviews to do, you want to come food shopping with me?"

Shuichi felt dizzy, ecstatic actually, but displayed an outward calm. "Um, you don't mind?"

"Course she doesn't mind idiot, didn't she just invite you?" Sano said, with an indecipherable expression. "It's all over your face that you want to go."

"Whatever, jerk," Shuichi muttered, looking away from him. Again, he looked at Mizuki and she gave him the thumbs up. "Okay. I'll get permission from Umeda-sempai."

"Umeda's here?" Mizuki's face glowed suddenly and Shuichi wondered in the back of his mind if she had crush on the infirmary doctor. "I really want to see him! He helped me so much in Japan."

"Oh really?" Shuichi was interested in this, since Umeda had always struck him as a little strange and Shuichi even felt as though the doctor _may_ had even hated women. "I know he didn't reveal your secret but what else..."

Then they started talking again, occasionally hearing the laughs down the pier from their classmates. Time seemed fly by as did the noise of their classmates. Soon it was becoming dark and it was Sano who looked up first, making an alarmed noise.

"What?" Shuichi had never been as far as America and knew from Sano's injury that people were dangerous here. He started looking around frantically, quickly realizing that they were completely alone on the boardwalk. "What is it?"

Sano placed a reassuring hand on Shuichi's arm. "Nothing! Stop looking like that, nothing's coming out of the darkness to get you!"

"Oh..." Shuichi then yanked his arm from Sano. "Then stop scaring me asshole!"

Mizuki rushed forward and clapped a hand over Shuichi's mouth. "Quiet." She gave him a serious look.

Sano made a annoyed sound. "Baka. If there were any criminals around here you'll have alerted them to our presence already." He looked around, frowning and squinting in the night.

"Hey, guys, let's get out of here already," Mizuki said in a low voice. "It's kind of scary out here at night. Plus, all the vagrants wonder around here."

Sano gave them both an indescribable look and grabbed Mizuki's hand, who in turn grabbed Shuichi's. Shuichi looked at her hand, feeling warm, but not the same kind of heart clenching, gut twisting warm he used to feel. The strange feeling felt familiar, but Shuichi couldn't place it.

"We're going to take you home and then we're going to our hotel," Sano said in English, as he led them along the boardwalk in a brisk pace. "Do you have any cab numbers in your cell?"

Mizuki stammered a negative and Sano let out a deep breath, nodding his head as if that was what he suspected. Instead walking in a vertical line, Shuichi came around so that they were walking together. He didn't say anything, but he felt peace mixed with the adrenaline rush brought on by the threat of danger.

Soon, they got past all the stands and vending machines, appearing at the street. There were only a few people around, most of them pretty scantily clad in Shuichi's opinion, moseying around. All three of them gauged the potential threat of everyone on the street, breathing slightly easier that none of them immediately looked like homicidal maniac.

"Excuse me, miss," Mizuki said in clear English, with demure blinking eyes. "Do cabs still come around here?"

The woman -middle-aged, blonde, and wearing a denim skirt entirely too small for her thick thighs- looked at Shuichi and Sano suspiciously. "Um, not right now. They're on strike actually. Young lady, are you...okay?"

"Huh?" Mizuki gave the woman a puzzled look. "Wha-"

"These two young men aren't bothering you or something, are they?"

Mizuki's face flamed, along with Shuichi's - Sano probably hid his blush better, and she started stammering. Shuichi wished he could say something, but his English was infantile at best and the last thing he wanted to do is say the wrong thing. (And look stupid in front of his friends.)

"She's perfectly fine, ma'am," Sano said, stepping forward and wrapping a casual arm around Mizuki's waist. "We're trying to get her safely home. We would pay her cab fare if there were cabs running."

Mizuki's eyes went all doe-like and round, apparently choking on air. Shuichi glanced at Sano's hand and took a deep breath. He threw an arm around Mizuki's neck before ruffling her hair affectionately. He something in Japanese and grinned when Mizuki translated it for the woman.

"Like a sister? Oh." The lady looked at Shuichi and Sano in a new light, smiling and showing off her scarily white teeth. "Well, I hate to tell you this, but without walking or a ride, you have to wait another hour and a half for the bus."

"Hour and a half?!" Mizuki groaned, and then said in Japanese that her parents were sleeping and she didn't want to wake them. "Thank you, ma'am. We'll figure something out."

The woman smiled sympathetically and told them, "I'm sorry, honey. I hope you kids get home safe. By the way, my name is Fey."

They all introduced themselves and then waved goodbye when Fey sashayed down the street. Sano sighed and Shuichi looked around, thinking that maybe he would find something to help them. Mizuki started going through her cell phone, trying to figure out someone to call.

"This sucks," she said morosely. "I can't even get a hold of Julia."

"Your American friend, right?" Sano said. "Does she live anywhere near here?"

Mizuki sighed dejectedly. "No, but her boyfriend does. But I don't know where _he_ lives. He has a car and the keys to her place." She clicked her phone closed.

"Hey," Shuichi said abruptly, with an idea. "Our hotel isn't far from here. You can just stay the night in our room and call Julia to take you back home in the morning."

"You're right," Mizuki said slowly. "That's a good idea, Nakatsu." She beamed at him.

"Eh?! You want her to stay in our hotel room?!" Sano unwrapped his arm from around her and stuffed both his hands into his pockets. "What if someone sees her? Her reputation would be tainted!"

Shuichi blew a raspberry at Sano. "It's not like we've never slept in the same room before! Mizuki knows we're not going to become perverts in the middle of the night!"

"It's different now that we know she's a girl!" Sano protested fiercely.

"We knew then!" Shuichi shook his head. "I mean, you knew then and then I found out shortly afterwards. Still, we managed not to paw at her in her nightclothes."

"Everyone now knows!" Sano roared. "What if one of _them_ sees _her_ coming out of our _room_ in the morning?!"

Mizuki came between them, pushing them apart and telling them to stop. Shuichi didn't even realize that he'd been slowly inching towards Sano. Adrenaline was coursing through his veins and the night air did nothing to cool him off, but he backed off just the same. He twisted around and walking a little ways from Mizuki and Sano.

"What do you suppose we do than, Sano?" Mizuki asked, after making sure Shuichi and Sano weren't going to kill each other again. "We can't walk to my house from here. We'd never make it and the bus won't be here for a long time. It's dangerous out here so late at night. This is not a well lit street."

Sano put his hands on both her shoulders. "What if someone sees you, Mizuki?" he asked seriously, actually looking worried.

"Why don't we just dress up her up as a boy again?" Shuichi suggested, not even really meaning it. "It worked last time."

Both Sano and Mizuki were silent for a second and Shuichi stopped pacing. He looked at them, they looked at him, and they all cracked smiles. Sano looked off somewhere with twitching lips.

"Fine, but you idiots are on your own if you get caught," he said, flipping his hair over his shoulder nonchalantly.

Shuichi shared a knowing look with Mizuki. Sano would do no such thing such as leave them to their fate if they got caught. He _would_ try making sure it wasn't obvious that he was helping them, but he wouldn't _not_ do anything. Shuichi clapped Sano on the back, snorting at the irritated noise Sano made.

"Sure," Shuichi agreed, swinging his hands and watching Mizuki walk around to Sano's left side. "First we need to get some boyish clothes for Mizuki-chan..."

"Oh! I know a store that's still open!" Mizuki started leading the way. "The stuff in there is really cheap. We might have to hide my heels though. I don't know any shoe stores that would still be open."

Shuichi nodded agreeably, skipping alongside Sano. He felt a lot better and to be honest, he'd missed being roommates with Mizuki (as short as it had been). He also liked being roommates with Sano. Sano always had shampoo. Speaking of which...

"Do you know Sano uses special shampoo and hair products now?" Shuichi grinned past Sano at Mizuki. "It's why his hair looks so luxurious now."

Mizuki giggled, "Really?" She picked at a strand and laughed when Sano slapped her hand away. "Fabulous," she sing-songed.

"Shut up," Sano muttered, walking faster.

Shuichi jogged after him. "Where do you think you're going? You don't know the way, baka!" Mizuki followed after them laughing.

**A/N: I hope you're enjoying it. If you are, please leave a review. I really like them. Even it's only a smiley. :)**


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